Spotify now available in the U.S.

For what seems like an eternity, Spotify had been telling Americans its cloud-powered music service would be landing on U.S. shores any day now. As the months passed, we finally caught wind of a record label deal or two, but it seemed as though there was always one more stumbling block. The company remained steadfast, saying a U.S. launch would happen soon.

New Spotify users have three plans to choose from. The free, ad supported version lets you stream music on your desktop or mobile device. Spotify Unlimited runs $4.99 per month and gets rid of the advertisements. For $9.99 you’ll score a Spotify Premium account which enables offline play on your computer, smartphone, or tablet, access to exclusive content, and the occasional special offer. Sign up, and you’ve got instant access to an all-you-can-eat buffet featuring millions of songs.

While the free account is a tempting starting point it’s going to be tough to get one. They are invite-only at the moment, so you need a code, and the servers seem to be swamped. Even if you manage to gain access you only get 10 hours of listening time every month. It’s better to put down $4.99 and try the service as it should be heard. You can always cancel if you don’t like it.

Spotify also makes sharing music and playlists simple, and there’s even a collaborative playlist option that European users praised. It allows a whole “team” of listeners to put their combined efforts into creating an uber-playlist for all to enjoy.

With all the hoopla surrounding Spotify as it fought with licensing issues in the U.S., people seemed to forget that several other similar services were already available. While Rdio doesn’t offer a free version, it matches Spotify at $4.99 and $9.99 for online and offline listening — it’s also available in Canada, where folks like me won’t see a Spotify launch any time soon.